I almost feel like some people would read this and go, “who?”
And honestly… I kind of get it.
Matthijs De Ligt has become the forgotten man at this point. Not because of form, not because of anything he’s done wrong, but because he’s just been gone for so long that you almost forget he’s part of the squad.
Four months out with a back injury that, at the time, was supposed to be minor.
A game or two. Maybe a couple of weeks at most.
That was the original story.
However, his last appearance came against Palace in November.
It’s now March… and from Michael Carrick’s own mouth, there’s a real chance he might not play again this season 😬.
When asked about whether De Ligt will return before the end of the season, Carrick didn’t exactly fill anyone with confidence:
“Honestly, it’s difficult to say just because it’s taken that much time.
I can’t give you any more on it really. It’s one of those things with backs that sometimes you think it’s all right and then all of a sudden it’s not quite right.
We’re just kind of being patient and working through it.”
Translation?
“We have no idea.”
And that’s the worrying part.
Not just that he’s still out — but that there’s no timeline, no clarity, nothing concrete. When a club doesn’t know when a player will return, it usually means this isn’t straightforward at all.
Let’s not forget how this started.
It was Ruben Amorim — yes, that long ago — who initially said De Ligt would be out for about a week.
A week.
We’ve had three managers since then.
That “week” has somehow turned into four months… and counting.
If that doesn’t concern you, I don’t know what will.
There are two sides to this.
First, the player.
Back injuries are nasty. Unpredictable, easy to aggravate and very difficult to fully shake off. But even with that in mind, this length of absence is extreme.
You don’t often see a back issue potentially wiping out almost an entire season.
Then you look at his injury history…
And it doesn’t exactly scream “reliable.”
To be fair, not all of those injuries were major. But that’s almost worse in a way. It’s the constant stop-start pattern — a few games missed here, a couple weeks there — that disrupts rhythm and momentum.
It’s the Mason Mount problem.
Not always catastrophic injuries, but just enough to keep breaking continuity.
Although De Ligt did have one major layoff before which was a shoulder injury at Juventus that kept him out for over 100 days. This current situation though, feels different.
This feels… lingering.
This is where it gets a bit uncomfortable.
If you strip away the bias, you do have to ask the question.
Was it a risk bringing in a player with this kind of injury record?
Now personally, I’m a big fan of De Ligt. Always have been. I think he’s a top defender who’s never quite received the credit he deserves.
Ajax. Juventus. Bayern. You don’t play for clubs of that level without serious quality.
And now United.
But, at 26-years-old players don’t move that often without reason.
Maybe this is part of it.
He’s already picked up three injuries in just over a season at United, and this latest one might have effectively ended his campaign back in November.
That’s not ideal.
And this is the part that makes it even more complicated.
United have coped without him.
Lisandro Martinez stepped in and did well… before he too got injured, because of course he did. And since then, Leny Yoro and Harry Maguire have formed a surprisingly solid partnership.
Maguire’s even earned himself an England call-up.
So while De Ligt was arguably our player of the season before his injury, the team has found ways to move on without him.
He’s become the forgotten man not just because he’s been out, but because others have stepped up.
Even Ayden Heaven is sitting there waiting for his chance.
Football moves on quickly.
To be fair, De Ligt isn’t alone here.
Look across the back line and you’ll see a pattern. Almost every defender has had recurring injury issues over the years.
All except one.
Diogo Dalot.
Which says a lot.
Availability is a skill, and right now, he’s the only one consistently showing it.
I spoke about how Dalot could be an example for others to follow in terms of his fitness and self-care routine.
The second concern is the club itself.
How do you not have a timeline after four months?
Top clubs usually have a clear understanding of injuries, expected recovery periods and contingency plans. Even if there are setbacks, you get updates. You get some form of direction.
With United, it’s always the same script:
“It’s not too serious.”
“He shouldn’t be out too long.”
And then suddenly it’s March and the player is still nowhere to be seen.
Martinez is another example.
At some point, you have to start questioning the medical handling of these situations. Not necessarily blaming — but questioning.
Because this keeps happening.
And the frustrating part?
We’re not even playing that much football.
United will play just 40 games this season. There are huge gaps between fixtures. We literally go weeks without matches at times.
We play Bournemouth tonight and then wait another 24 days for the next match.
Twenty-four.
This is due to an international break followed up by an FA Cup weekend… and then we’re back with a Monday night game against Leeds.
Because apparently we’re still doing that.
In fact, two of our three games in April are on Monday nights.
Three games in a month.
And we’re still dealing with this many injuries.
Make it make sense.
On tonight's game, here is my preview of Bournemouth.
At this point, rushing De Ligt back would make no sense.
If he’s not fully right, leave him. Get him fit, give him a full pre-season and go again next year.
Defensively, we’ve been solid enough. The schedule is light. And we’re in a strong position to secure Champions League football.
There’s no need to gamble on a half-fit centre-back, no matter how good he is.
So now it comes down to this.
Do you stick with him and trust that he can stay fit? Or do you start asking whether this is going to be a recurring issue that holds both him and the team back?
The quality is there. But availability…
That’s starting to become a real concern.
What are you saying?
Stick or twist?
Matthijs De Ligt could be out for the rest of the season says Michael Carrick | Image credit: Getty Images via Goal